Last week we began our study of Psalm 103, and we learned how verses one to five applied to us as Christians today. We studied about the six reasons, or as David states in verse two, the “benefits” of why we should praise the Lord. Verse three is the first of the six “benefits” that David mentions, referring to God he says, “who forgives all your sins”. Based on this point I asked a question supported with a New Testament reference for us to reflect on. “How are you blessed because your sins are forgiven?” Romans 4:7-8, 7 “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.” How did you answer the question? Did the question really make you reflect on how you are blessed and how you now personally benefit because God has forgiven your sins? I hope it did. For some Christians it is easy to forget what God did as a result of of His love and grace so we could have our sins forgiven. And for others it can be easy to not recognize or take for granted the blessings they are now experiencing as a result of their sins being forgiven.
In verses seven to twelve of this psalm, David continues to talk about what it means for God to forgive us of our sins. These five verses specifically teaches us from God’s perspective of who He is and how He sees and treats us once our sins are forgiven. But before we study theses verses we need to remember that the Bible has a lot to say about God forgiving usof our sins that the verses in Psalms 103 do not mention. For example, the spiritual reality that David had to experience even though he confessed his sin and God forgave his sins of adultery and murder. In this particular instance David’s sins were forgiven but David still had to confront the consequences of them. In 2 Samuel 12:7-12 the prophet Nathan is very specific about what the consequences of David’s sin would be in spite of the fact that he acknowledged his sin and that God had forgiven him. 2 Samuel 12:13-14, 13 “Then David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’ Nathan replied, ‘The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. 14 But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the Lord show utter contempt, the son born to you will die.”‘
Another important point to consider about God forgiving our sins is the necessity that God places on us as Christians forgiving others when they have sinned against us. Matthew 6:14-15, 14 “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
There are many more examples in the Bible of how sin affects the relationship between God’s child and God the Father that we cannot mention here. But the points that David makes concerning God’s perspective of who He is and how He sees and treats us once our sins are forgiven is very important for Christians to realize. When these spiritual truths are not realized or forgotten, it can leave the door of our hearts and minds open and exposed to the enemy to rob the peace and assurance of our relationship with God our Father. As a result we will be full of anxiety wondering about our position with God. Philippians 4:6-7, 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Psalms 103:7-12
7 He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: 8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. 9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; 10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
If we read and relate these verses with what David said back in verses two and three, “2 Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits — 3 who forgives all your sins…” we will discover an important truth, God’s perspective of who He is and how He sees and treats us once our sins are forgiven. How can we do this? First of all I trust that those of you who are reading this have experienced God’s forgiveness of your sins because you have believed (trusted) in God’s provision, the sacrifice of Christ on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins. Ephesians 1:7 “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” With this knowledge and experiential understanding, when we look at verse eight we clearly see that knowing who God is, is as a result of our intimate and constant relationship with Him, the four points that David states are an experienced reality in our lives as Christians. 8 The Lord is 1) compassionate 2) and gracious, 3) slow to anger, 4) abounding in love. How have you experienced these four points of who God is in your life as it relates to the forgiveness of your sins?
In verses nine to twelve David gives us the six points of how God sees and treats us once our sins are forgiven. 1) 9 He will not always accuse, 2) nor will he harbor his anger forever; 3) 10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve 4) or repay us according to our iniquities. 5) 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 6) 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
Much can be said about these six spiritual facts or truths of which we do not have the space to expound on here. What can be commented is, what all these spiritual truths have in common is that they are all based on our sins having been forgiven by God. If we want to experience the reality of these spiritual truths in our life we must acknowledge, confess and repent of our sins before God. The Apostle give us a very important spiritual truth we should always remember.
1 John 1:8-10, 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
Pastor John
